Marketing Challenges
- 9 percent monthly drop-out rate (364 enrolled; 35 discontinued, leaving 341 active participants; 327 active participants needed to complete the study for statistical power)
- Potential availability of a competitor’s product by year-end
- One-year participation period
Creative Strategy
The primary objectives of the retention program were to:
- Reduce/stop participant drop-out due to preventable reasons to maintain statistical power for the data
- Energize the sites/coordinators to be more proactive about anticipating patient attrition issues and creatively managing any retention challenges
- Recognize patients and sites for their efforts and contributions to the study’s success in a manner that is consistent with regulatory and ethical guidelines
Media Mix
The following initiatives were implemented by DAC for all participating sites:
Initiatives
- Patient Retention Training for Study Coordinators
- Patient Retention Guide for Study Coordinators
- Visit Reminders/Retention Card Kits
- Vision Loss Aid Kits
- Wallet Cards
- Resource Guide
- Reader’s Digest Subscription
- Caregiver Package
- “Coping With Vision Loss”
- Patient Satisfaction Questionnaire
- Study Coordinator Satisfaction Questionnaire
- Clinical Waiting Room Items (Playing Cards)
- Patient Newsletters
- Study Coordinator Newsletters
- Study Coordinator Teleconferences
- Study Coordinator Appreciation Packages
- Study Support Staff Appreciation Packages
Results
Due to joint efforts between the sponsor and DAC, 326 patients were retained through August 2005, which fostered statistical advantage.
